Spy Games

9 years ago

Panetta's CIA Steps Up Pressure

Under Leon Panetta, the former congressman and Clinton hand, the CIA has grown increasingly aggressive, chasing down al Qaeda and Taliban members in Pakistan. The beefed-up agency is a bit of a surprise for foreign-policy watchers as Panetta had little military-intelligence experience to speak of before he took the post 13 months ago. Yet his willingness to use force has won allies. "I've never sensed him shirking from it," one official told The Washington Post. Some are not pleased with spy agency's renewed swagger. Watchdog groups have begun to challenge the drone attacks, which have been used to target people in Pakistan.